Looking Back: Cod farming at Ardtoe
Fish Farmer, May/June 1999
Cod farming is enjoying something of a revival in Norway but not, so far, in Scotland. But back in 1999, optimism was running high over a trial cod farming initiative in Ardtoe, on the country’s west coast.
As Fish Farmer reported, the UK’s first commercial-scale cod harvest, running into “several tens of tonnes” was the culmination of a three-year project carried out by the Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish), with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the retailer Marks & Spencer.
Tasting trials had already delivered excellent results with many feeling that farmed cod was better than the wild variety.
Initial reports on production were positive but, as in Norway at the time, cof farming failed to make headway. Seafish sold its Ardtoe facility in 2005.
With quotas hitting the cod catch fisheries and apparent success for today’s Norwegian cod farmers, we may yet see a revival of the idea in Scotland.
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